Work-in-progress

Mid-winter madness seems to have hit the canoe club. Nothing specific but people are relaxing slightly - they've settled into the winter program and plans for training camps are being finalized. In other words, there is light at the end of this bleak winter tunnel and people are getting a little goofy.

Last night I was warming up on the bike while the kids were boxing at HUF. On Friday nights we do paddle pool with the girls kayak group which works out perfectly. Chris E. came in while I was on the bike, he and Dana are down to do some weights and p-pool with Kyle. Eric came in shortly after that and the 3 of us chatted about whatever; training, balancing student and athlete life, etc...Chris filled me in on what kind of stuff he's been working on at school. It's so interesting and he's really innovative. He'll do well wherever he ends up working. He also mentioned Dana will be an engineer in 3 months! And on a further Morgoch note, Melissa is now a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, D.V.M.!


I went downstairs when I heard the girls clattering in and stood there for a minute watching them set up. I was waiting so I could pick a spot where I'd be splashed the least but ...what the? They were setting up facing each other. Lauren and Robin faced the window while new girl #1 and Hayley faced the wall. Krista and new girl #2 stood at the end of each channel with a C1 paddle. (so sorry, I don't know the new girls' names yet). They informed me they were playing "the game", something Derek had made up. He had a meeting upstairs and told them they could use the game as a warm up before starting the workout.

It's pretty good actually. The two girls in the middle are like centres and have a blade on the ball to start(they use the smallest of the stability balls). The object is to smack the ball and hit the deck behind your seat - so they're actually using a kayak motion. The goal-tender stands behind the opposing team, facing their own players and tries to keep the ball away from the deck. It was pretty entertaining and the boys crowded in from the weight room to see what all the squealing and cheering was about - gosh, the untapped power of a girl-squeal...

Courtney, Erika and I were patiently warming up on the other rail and eventually we started the workout. By this time, it was 6:00pm and the rest of our HP paddle group came in.

One of the guys dropped his wedding ring into the paddle pool - it slipped right off his finger, fell through the wood slats of the deck and slithered to the bottom of the outside tank. He offered $10 to whoever would go in and get it. Right away, most of the girls said "no way" so someone told the guys in the weight room. For the second time in 10 minutes the midget boys swarmed into the paddle pool.

The offer of $10 just for diving into the paddle pool may seem like a good deal but most of the kids were more interested in seeing who would be crazy enough to do it. The water is frigid and nasty and over-chlorinated. Tymek brought his swim goggles and said he was going to do it but new girl # 1, encouraged by the older guys, was running back and forth like a spaniel. Everyone was pointing and yelling directions as to where the ring had gone through. Eager to please, she dove right in and slipped under the deck before Tymek could even get the goggles on. #1 doesn't know it yet but, without taking a stroke in a boat, she's just shown her potential as a war canoe paddler.

As the older guys stepped back to watch the show, the rest of the girls rolled their eyes and got out of the way. Ok, I don't know if the paddle pool water is actually colder than it has been in past years but it definitely feels like it is. #1 came up from her first pass dripping and gasping from the shock from the cold water. She said she had her contact lenses in and couldn't open her eyes underwater. Tymek, who had already tested the water and decided it was too cold, handed her the goggles. It took her about three dives but she eventually came up with the ring. Kyle immediatley sent her upstairs with instructions to have a hot shower.

After that we were able to get into our workout. By now it was too late for the kayak girls to continue but there were still 6 canoers (2 of us doing outrigger). It was a good workout - Kyle called out stroke rates, gave feedback on our technique and took heartrates. We can do all these things ourselves but we're just so much more motivated when there's someone there watching.

So... I guess none of us are really that different from #1.